VoIP network service infrastructures contain different network elements that need to communicate with each other in order for calls to be setup and media paths established. For example, a Call Control Element (CCE), needs to communicate to routing databases and Border Elements (BE), and occasionally to Application Servers (AS). Broadly defined, a CCE is a network element that performs call control functions to setup a call, an AS is a network element that comprises the data as well as applications that the CCE needs in order to setup a call, and a Border Element is a network element that represents the edge of a VoIP network and serves as a gateway between a customer's network, a VoIP network, and a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Occasionally, routing configurations errors happen and messages between these network elements get into a looping pattern that creates call setup failures. These looping patterns can create network based call storms.
During these occasions of service disruptions, the network operators and engineers often have to investigate Call Detail Records (CDRs) and performance monitoring tools that record complex call signaling flows. Using this information, network operators are able to eventually determine the locations of the call flow aberrations that triggered the service problems. However, this procedure can consume a considerable amount of time and is not a convenient method for locating service disruption areas.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for graphically displaying call signaling flows in a packet-switched network, e.g., a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.